Text Parameters & iParts, Excel Spreadsheets

[#1]

I've got a ton of parts that I work with that are identical with the exception of color & markings, and I'd love to be able to make better use of iParts.  Colors are no problem, but the markings can be.  The way it works right now, I have to make individual extrusion or emboss features for each different marking, and then suppress / unsuppress in each factory member.  Wouldn't it be great to be able to just make one extrusion which calls the text to be extruded from a parameter, and then just vary the parameter in the factory members?

Also, why can't we bring text parameters in from Excel spreadsheets?  That particular restriction just doesn't seem to make sense.  If Inventor can figure out that "in" or "ul" or "lbforce" in the third column means something, then it doesn't seem like it'd be difficult to figure out what "text" in the third column would mean ...

[#2]

Does somebody knows the answer to what LT. Rusty is asking on this post? I have a similar situation where I need to import a text rather than unit or unitless. I know we can do that directly within the inventor parameters but I need this to be controlled with my excel spreadsheet.

I would appreciate any help on this matter.

Thanks,

Eric